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Celiac Disease (CD)

What is Celiac Disease (CD)?

Celiac Disease (CD) is a chronic (long-term) digestive disease in which patients have inflammation or irritation of the small intestine, which causes difficulty with absorbing nutrients from the diet. Patients with CD often have other family members with the condition and are therefore susceptible to this disease. Inflammation in the bowel occurs when a patient with CD begins to eat food that contains gluten. Gluten is the name given to certain types of proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and related grains. Oats are currently considered not to be toxic to persons with CD. However, due to the high possibility of contamination with other gluten containing grains, oats are typically not recommended for people with celiac disease.

When food containing the gluten protein arrives in the small bowel, the immune system reacts against the gluten, causing an inflammatory reaction in the wall of the bowel. The small intestine lining is covered by millions of villi, finger-like projections, which act to increase the surface area of the intestine allowing increased absorption of nutrients. The villi are damaged by the inflammation in CD, which results in a decrease in the absorption of food. When gluten is removed from the diet inflammation is reduced and the intestine begins to heal. The time when a patient develops symptoms varies from patient to patient after their first contact with the gluten protein. In many cases is may be decades before symptoms and signs develop, often precipitated by a trigger.

How common is Celiac Disease?

Approximately 1 out of every 100 people may have CD though only 1 out of 10 people with celiac disease may be actually diagnosed and are aware that they have this disease. Some of these patients have mild forms of the disease and may have no symptoms or only mild symptoms. There may be as many as 2-3 million people in the United States and 20 million in the world with CD.

Who does Celiac Disease affect?

CD affects many ethnicities, whites with the highest prevalence in Caucasians. Infants and children may have celiac disease, but CD is more commonly diagnosed in adulthood, and people can be diagnosed even in their seventies or eighties. Females are more likely to be diagnosed with celiac disease than males. Individuals that have type 1 diabetes, thyroid disorders, or relatives with CD are at greater risk for developing CD.

What are the main symptoms of Celiac Disease?

The symptoms or signs of celiac disease are highly variable. Some people have mild inflammation with few symptoms. Even though they may feel quite well there is still damage occurring to the lining of the bowel. Other people have more severe inflammation, which causes symptoms that may be severe enough to lead them to visit their doctor. Occasionally individuals will not have any symptoms at all even though their small intestine is severely inflamed.

The most common symptoms and signs (consequences) are:

Abdominal pains

Bloating and gas

Diarrhea

Stools that may float or smell very bad

Weight loss

Poor growth or weight loss in children

Anemia (low blood count)

Other symptoms and signs (consequences) are:

Feeling weak

Fatigue

Low vitamin levels - especially iron, calcium and folate

Bone and joint pains

Osteoporosis (bone thinning)

A skin rash that lasts

Infertility

Neurological Deficits (neuropathy)

Liver enzyme abnormalities

Someone with celiac disease may have a variety of the above symptoms and different people with celiac disease may have completely different symptoms. Celiac disease can mimic the symptoms of more common problems and be misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It is now recommended that patients with symptoms be tested for celiac disease.

How is Celiac Disease diagnosed?

It is important to remember that most patients with abdominal pain, bloating or diarrhea do not have celiac disease. In order to test for celiac disease with blood tests and/or endoscopy the doctor should suspect celiac disease as the cause for the symptoms. When the doctor thinks that celiac disease is possible, but not very likely, then blood tests alone are done. If the blood tests are normal, other tests are rarely necessary. Sometimes the doctor strongly suspects that the symptoms are due to celiac disease, or another similar illness, and will request an endoscopy and biopsy (sampling of the tissue of the small intestine). All tests for celiac disease, except for genetic tests, must be done while the patient is on a normal diet that contains gluten. Patients who are concerned that they may have celiac disease should not restrict their diet prior to seeking medical evaluation because this may cause false negative test results.

Blood tests:

Specific antibody blood tests are used to diagnose patients with CD. These blood tests are also used to test people who may be at risk for having CD but have no symptoms (relatives of patients with CD). The 2 most used tests are the endomysial antibody and tissue transglutaminase antibody tests. Other tests such as tests for gliadin antibodies are not as accurate because they can be abnormal in healthy patients who do not have celiac disease or in people with other digestive problems. Other tests for allergies will not detect celiac disease. Tests on saliva or stool for antibodies are not good substitutes for the blood-based tests. Genetic tests are available to assist doctors when the blood tests are unclear, or when patients continue to have symptoms while on a gluten free diet.

Endoscopy:

Establishing a firm diagnosis of CD requires taking biopsy samples of the small bowel using endoscopy. Endoscopy involves insertion of a thin flexible tube through the mouth into the stomach and small bowel. Samples are taken from the wall of the small bowel and are examined under a microscope for changes of CD. This test is usually performed with the aid of sedatives.

How is Celiac Disease treated?

Celiac disease is treated by avoiding all foods that contain gluten. Gluten is what causes inflammation in the small bowel. When this is removed from the diet, the bowel will heal and return to normal. Dieticians with expertise in gluten free diets are essential for educating patients and tailoring diets. Medications are not normally required to treat CD except in occasional patients who do not respond to a gluten free diet. There are many CD support groups available for patients and family members.

Gluten Free Diet

The following grains contain Gluten and are NOT ALLOWED IN ANY FORM:

Barley

Einkorn

Kamut

Rye

Spelt

Triticale

Wheat

Frequently overlooked foods that often contain gluten:

Basting

Pastas

Breading

Imitation bacon

Broth

Imitation seafood

Coating mixes

Marinades

Commercial cereals

Processed meats

Communion wafers

Sauces

Croutons

Stuffings

Getting used to the gluten free diet requires some lifestyle changes. The key to understanding the gluten free diet is to become a good ingredient label reader. If a food has questionable ingredients avoid it and find a similar product that you know is gluten free. Foods containing the following ingredients are questionable and should not be consumed unless it is verified that they do not contain or are not derived from prohibited grains. These products are:

Unidentified:

Modified food starch

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)

Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)

Malt vinegar

Soy sauce or soy sauce solids

Brown rice syrup

Dextrin

Textured vegetable protein (TVP)

Vegetable gum

Be aware that medications may contain gluten ingredients. Gluten containing fillers may be in both prescription and over the counter medications. It is essential to ensure that any medications being taken are gluten free.

Allowed:

Beans

Quinoa

Buckwheat

Rice

Corn

Sorghum

Millet

Soy

Nut Flours

Tapioca

Potatos

Tef

For how long do you remain on the gluten free diet?

Once a diagnosis of CD is established, these individuals need to remain on the gluten free diet for the rest of their lives. While this may be difficult at first, patients usually adapt quite well over time. Dieticians will assist in the dietary transition.

Is there any other way of treating Celiac Disease?

No. There is no other treatment currently available. All patients with CD must remain on a strict gluten free diet. Medications are not normally required. Supplemental vitamins, calcium and magnesium may sometimes be recommended but patients are advised to check with their physician about these supplements. Rarely steroids or other drugs are used to suppress the immune system but only in the most severe of cases.

If you have questions about Celiac Disease, contact our office to set up an appointment. We want to help you to manage this disease.

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

The preceding information is intended only to provide general information and not as a definitive basis for diagnosis or treatment in any particular case. It is very important that you consult your doctor about your specific condition.